Hyattsville Based Band Mixes Dylan, Dead For Rootsy Sound

When sings there’s something very Willie Nelson, Lynard Skynard and maybe a little bit of folk happening.

With his band, the , Lucas weaves layers of classic vibes into down home lyrics for a wholesome, American sound.

Lucas, who founded the band along with friend Daniel Rodgerson—the two play for some worship services at University Baptist Church—is a Hyattsville resident originally from Connecticut.

“We started getting other people together to do a little bit more than that,” he said, adding that the Ramblers have been together as a band for a little more than a year.

“We’re all working and we’re all older so it’s kind of a struggle but we’ve kind of settled on this lineup that we have now. My hope is like once a month we’re playing somewhere.”

The band’s genealogy is a patchwork drawn out of the past.

Rodgerson, who plays lead guitar, knew drummer Paul Withers since their teen years and brought him on board. Andrew Widman, who plays bass and sings, is a dad Lucas knows from . Tom Rodgerson plays guitar and sings.

The Ramblers play a mix of cover and original music. Their sets include a lot of roots rock and country folk tunes--songs from the Grateful Dead, Dark Hollow, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

Lucas, who writes for the band, said he listens to a lot of blues, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams music. He draws on his experiences for his songs.

“I don’t really have a process,” he said. “It kind of hits me or it doesn’t. I go through phases where I’ll write a lot of stuff and then times when I don’t write much at all.

“When our … boys were little I was writing a lot of songs and I don’t know if that’s sleep deprivation or the creativity that comes with being a little spent.”

For the Christian music—the singer and guitarist holds a Masters of Divinity degree—Lucas’s inspiration often comes out of reading the Bible.

“Things kind of come together,” he said. “I write the lyrics and the words together …”

Speaking of that, the band’s name also comes from Lucas’s Christian center.

His pastor initially dubbed the group, The Wayfaring Strangers.

After some research Lucas found out that a band with that name already exists so the search was on for a new moniker.

“[Lonesome Valley Ramblers is] from a song that I wrote called “King Without A Crown” that talks about Jesus in that kind of role of walking the lonesome valley and that being sort of a metaphor for this world,” he said. “Psalms talks about the valley of the shadow of death.

“I thought about lonesome valley and rambling as kind of a making our way through the world.”

Lucas and his wife Carol met at Andover Newton Theological School. In 1995 they returned to the Washington, D.C. area for work.  They moved into Hyattsville, Carol’s hometown, in 1997.

The band is hoping to perform at Busboys and Poets, which is expected to settle in Hyattsville’s arts district early this summer.

“I wish would do music but they kind of draw a big enough crowd as it is, Lucas said.”

For the time being, the Ramblers are trying to do some recording. They would like to put together three or four songs as a band, Lucas said.

The Lonesome Valley Ramblers will be part of a concert for Maryland Day in end of April. The concert, called Faith in College Park, will feature local choirs and bands.